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Cash

society Maturity 11-13 Next article →

Cash is money that you can touch and hold.

Flickr - Nic's events - London - 14-15 Dec 2007 - 034
Flickr - Nic's events - London - 14-15 Dec 2007 - 034

It usually comes in the form of metal coins or paper banknotes. In the world of math and business, cash is seen as an asset. This means it is something valuable that can be used right away. People use cash to pay for things they need. It can also act as a reserve for future payments. This helps people or businesses if they run low on money unexpectedly.

Ancientchinesecoins
Ancientchinesecoins

Money has changed a lot over many centuries. Long ago in Western Europe, people used silver jewelry or pieces of silver as money. Later, merchants in Venice began using silver bars for very large trades. In China, people were using paper money much earlier than people in Europe.

Ancientchinesecoins
Ancientchinesecoins

During the 13th century, a traveler named Marco Polo saw this in China. He noticed the Great Kaan used parts of the Mulberry Tree to make paper money. A special seal was pressed onto the paper to prove it was real. Making fake money was a very serious crime back then.

As time went on, different types of coins became very popular. In the 15th century, the Spanish made a famous coin called the 8 reales. It was a standard coin used for trade all over the world. There were also gold coins like the Venetian ducat and the gold florin. Rulers liked making coins because they could earn extra money from them. This happened when the value of the coin was higher than the metal inside. Sometimes, people tried to make fake coins that were lighter than the real ones. This made the original coins less popular because the fakes were not as good.

In the 1600s, the English East India Company began making its own coins. They even set up a mint, or a place to make coins, in Bombay in 1671. These coins had writing in both English and Urdu to help with trade. In some places like Madras, the company used many different types of money. They used things called pagodas, fanams, and cash until the year 1818. Eventually, they switched to using the rupee as their main unit of currency. This helped make trading much simpler across different regions.

Today, many people use plastic cards to pay for things instead of cash. This is often called a cashless society. Even so, cash is still a very important part of our lives. It allows people to pay for things without sharing personal data. It is also a great way for children to learn how to handle money. Some people like the feeling of holding real coins and notes. Even as electronic payments grow, cash remains a helpful way to make small payments quickly.

Credit-cards
Credit-cards
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File:Ancientchinesecoins.jpg
Ancientchinesecoins.jpg
File:Credit-cards.jpg
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